Today in Labor History May 15

 

Pope Leo XIII issued the revolutionary encyclical Rerum novarum in defense of workers and the right to organize. Forty years later to the day, Pope Pius XI issued Quadragesimo anno, believed by many to be even more radical than Leo XIII’s. – 1891

The Western Federation of Miners formed in Butte, Montana by Big Bill Haywood.  They organized the hard rock miners of the Rocky Mountain states into a labor union deemed radical by most mine owners and investors. -1893

New Jersey became the first state to prohibit employment discrimination against union members. – 1894

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Samuel Gompers and other union leaders for supporting a boycott at the Buck Stove and Range Company in St. Louis, where workers were striking for a nine-hour day. A lower court had forbidden the boycott and sentenced the unionists to prison for refusing to obey the judge’s anti-boycott injunction. – 1906

Factory owner Harry Widdicomb attempted to personally drive scabs through a crowd of 1,200 striking furniture workers and supporters gathered outside his factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A battle broke out and the fighting drew more people to help the strikers, swelling the crowd to 2,000. When it ended at midnight, every window in the factory had been smashed. – 1911

The Library Employees’ Union was founded in New York City, the first union of public library workers in the United States. A major focus of the union was the inferior status of women library workers and their low salaries. – 1917

Launched by officers of the Machinists, the first labor bank opened in Washington, D.C.The Locomotive Engineers opened a bank in Cleveland later that year – 1920

Bruce Duncan “Utah” Phillips, an American labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and the “Golden Voice of the Great Southwest”. He described the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action, self-identifying as an anarchist. An IWW member, he often promoted the Industrial Workers of the World in his music, actions, and words. – 1935

IWW songwriter T-Bone Slim, died in New York City. T-Bone wrote such Wobbly classics as The Mysteries of a Hobo’s Life, The Popular Wobbly, and The Lumberjack’s Prayer. (From The Unionist and Rebel Voices, edited by Joyce L. Kornbluh). – 1942

Wall Street Journal reporter Jonathan Kwitny uncovered the true face of American labor bosses: AFL-CIO President George Meany, Secretary-Treasurer Lane Kirkland, and other union officials were among the 60 leading stockholders in the 15,000 acre Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic, benefiting handsomely when the Dominican president sent troops to forcibly evict impoverished tobacco farmers and fishermen who had lived there for generations. – 1973

Important Events From This day in History May 14th

 

14 May, 1973 U.S.A. Skylab

1973 : Skylab, the first U.S. space station measuring 118 ft tall and weighing 77 tons, is launched into orbit around the earth.

14 May, 1991 South Africa Winnie Mandela

1991 : Winnie Mandela, the wife of Nelson Mandela, is given a six-year prison sentence for her part in the kidnap of four youths suspected of being police informers, one of the kidnapped boys later died of his injuries. Mrs Mandela's is believed to be behind the activities of her bodyguards - known as the "Mandela Football Club" who are involved in violence in the Soweto township including the notorious "necklace killings" which involved putting a tyre around a victim's neck and setting fire to it.

14 May, 1804 U.S.A. The Lewis and Clark Expedition

1804 : The Lewis and Clark expedition started from Camp Dubois, near present day Hartford, Illinois on this day in 1804. They reached the Pacific Ocean on November 20th, 1805. They arrived back to St. Louis, Missouri on September 23rd 1806.

14 May, 1920 U.S.A. Airmail Service

1920 : The airmail service continues to grow with a new service from Chicago to Omaha carrying 500 lbs of mail daily except Sundays and Holidays , the service will take about 5 1/2 hrs. The 1920s was a major growth period for Mail Delivery both domestic and later world wide.

14 May, 1948 Israel Independent State

1948 : The independent state of Israel is proclaimed as British rule in Palestine came to an end. It has taken Israel 2000 years to gain nationhood status.

14 May, 1931 India Mahatma Gandhi

1931 : Mahatma Gandhi the leader of the Indian Nationalist movement has agreed to talks with Britain in London to discuss more independence from Britain in return for stopping the current boycott on foreign goods in India.

14 May, 1940 England The Home Guard

1940 : The British Secretary of State for War Anthony Eden announced the creation of the Local Defense Volunteers (LDV) name changed in July of 1940 to "The Home Guard". The creation of the LDV was a direct result of Germany's conquest of Norway so quickly and the beginning of the invasion of France by German forces. Anthony Eden announced during the radio broadcast .

Radio Broadcast Requesting Volunteers for The Home Guard:

The government had expected 150,000 men to volunteer in total, but by the end of the first month 750,000 men had volunteered. By the end of June 1940, there were nearly 1.5 million volunteers.

1942 U.S.A. Air Travel

1942 : FDR has stated that all domestic air travel will be placed on a full wartime basis with the army operating or controlling the nations fleet of over 500 transport planes to help in the war effort.

1955 Poland Warsaw Pact Signed

1955 : The Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc allies including USSR, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania sign a security pact in the Polish capital, Warsaw, after a three-day conference. The Warsaw Pact will provide close integration of military, economic and cultural policy between the eight Communist nations.

https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/may15th.html

Today in Labor History May 14

 

“We Want Beer” marches were held throughout the United States. 15,000 unionized workers demonstrated in Detroit. Prohibition was repealed within a year. – 1932

Milwaukee brewery workers began a 10-week strike, demanding contracts comparable to East and West coast workers. The strike was won because Blatz Brewery accepted their demands, but Blatz was ousted from the Brewers Association for “unethical” business methods. – 1953

Important Events From This day in History May 13th

 

13 May,1938 U.S.A. "When the Saints Go Marching In"

1938 : "When the Saints Go Marching In" was recorded by Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra. Though the song was first written to be a spiritual song, many jazz and folk artists have adopted it and made it very popular throughout the years.

13 May,1985 U.S.A. MOVE Philadelphia

1985 : Philadelphia Police Department drop a bomb containing C-4 and Tovex from a helicopter onto MOVE's residence part of a row of tenements on Osage Avenue, the explosion started an uncontrolled fire and as a result, 53 houses burned and 240 people were left homeless. John Africa, six other adults and four children, who were living in the MOVE Cult Home died in the resulting fire. Police were attempting to enforce outstanding arrest warrants for four members of the group by blowing up tactical bunkers constructed by MOVE on the roof and had evacuated people from their Osage Avenue homes in order to prepare for an operation against MOVE. MOVE was a mostly black group whose members all adopted the surname Africa, advocated a 'back-to-nature' lifestyle and preached against technology.

13 May,1981 Vatican Pope John Paul II Shot

1981 : Pope John Paul II, is shot in St Peter's Square in Rome in front of 20,000 worshipers. Police in the square apprehended Turkish citizen Mehmet Ali Agca after the shooting.

13 May,1939 Italy Benito Mussolini

1939 : The Italian leader Benito Mussolini and German Leader Adolf Hitler are planning tours of borders with France and the border between Tunisia and Libya together with Poland. The Italian Leader is expected to give an anti-french speech in the next 2 days over the disputed areas Italy believes should be Italian and not French controlled offering a last chance for France to come to a peaceful settlement over Italian territorial claims.

13 May,1940 England Queen Wilhelmina

1940 : Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands safely arrived in England as a refuge from the invading Nazi Germany.

13 May,1940 Churchill First Speech as UK Prime Minister

1940 : Following Winston Churchill becoming leader of the British Coalition Government in his first speech as prime minister he told the British House of Commons "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

1947 Germany Severe Food Shortages

1947 : In Germany calls have been made for urgent assistance in the American Zone and the British Zone as residents in both areas are now suffering with severe shortages of food which is causing mass starvation, this is in turn causing antagonism and resentment to America and England.

13 May,1960 France Cold War Summit

1960 : A Summit scheduled for tomorrow with the 4 most powerful leaders who have a vested interest in the future of Germany is focused on how to proceed in Germany , the Russians want recognition of East Germany and an end to the cold war and disarmament. The 4 leaders who will be attending are Eisenhower, Macmillan, Khrushchev and de Gaulle. This is also seen by many as a showdown between Eisenhower and Khrushchev over the American U2 spy plane shot down in Russian Airspace on the May 1. Each of these leaders is expressing the same desires to end the Cold War, nuclear disarmament and an end to the build up military forces.

1968 France General Strike

1968 : 800,000 teachers, workers and student protesters marched through the French capital during a one day general strike demanding the fall of the government under Charles de Gaulle and to protest police brutality during the riots of the past few days. The strike spread all across France until around 10 million workers had downed tools and paralyzed the nation for nearly two weeks. Following concerns by the government Charles de Gaulle called an election for the end of June resulting in his party winning by a huge majority.

1980 U.S.A. Tornado Kalamazoo, Michigan

1980 : A tornado devastated Kalamazoo, Michigan, killing five people and injuring a further 85.

1988 Iran Iraq Bombs Supertankers

1988 : Iraq bombed and destroyed 2 of the worlds largest supertankers in the Southern Persian Golf loading oil in the Iranian offshore loading terminal of Larak. This is seen as a further escalation of the 7 1/2 year war between Iraq and Iran.

1993 U.S.A. Knots Landing

1993 : Knots Landing a spin off of the hit soap "Dallas " goes off the air after running from December 27, 1979 on CBS for more than 13 years.

2000 Netherlands Enschede fireworks Fire and Explosion

2000 : A warehouse in Enschede storing fireworks starts on fire and causes over 170 tons of fireworks to explode with devastating results killing more than 20 and injuring nearly 1,000, the explosion was so bad over 400 homes were completely destroyed and more than 1,000 other homes severely damaged.

2005 Vatican City Pope John Paul II to be Beatified

2005 : Pope Benedict XVI announced that the Vatican will begin the process of beatification for the late Pope John Paul II, the first step in achieving sainthood. The current Pope went against convention by beginning to beatify John Paul II so soon after his death, normally there is a period of five years after a person's death before the process begins. However, Pope Benedict XVI waited just over a month after his death to begin the process of beatification.

2006 Brazil São Paulo Violence

2006 : Attacks organized by the crime syndicate PCC against police stations, justice forums, buses and inside prisons continues from the night before. The attacks are in retaliation for police crackdown on organised crime in São Paulo after 40 police are killed by gang violence. The attacks and retaliation by police continued for 4 days during which time 150 from both sides of the law die.

2007 Iranian President Visits UAE

2007 : Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, visited the United Arab Emirates to hold talks with UAE officials. The visit was the first of its kind since the United Arab Emirates was created in 1971. The leaders discussed issues dealing with energy, security, and trade.

https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/may14th.html

Today in Labor History May 13, 2023

 

The Canadian government established the Department of Labour. It took the U.S. another four years. – 1909

4,000 dockworkers and members of the predominantly African-American Marine Transport Workers’ Local 8 of the Industrial Workers of the World began what would be a successful strike in Philadelphia over wages and union recognition. Through strikes, slow-downs, and other workplace actions, Local 8 secured raises for all dockworkers, including those who were not IWW members, well into the 1940s. – 1913

UAW President Douglas A. Fraser was named to the Chrysler Corporation board of directors, becoming the first union representative ever to sit on the board of a major U.S. corporation. – 1980

Organized by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, drivers in New York City went on a one-day strike to protest Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s proposed taxicab regulations. “City officials were stunned by the success of a strike by taxi drivers,” the New York Times reported, “when all but a few hundred of the city’s 12,187 cabs remained parked.” – 1998

Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere

 Palm Springs, California

Eagle-Tribune comes on strong in newspaper competition - Eagle Tribune

Prince Harry: Mirror publisher phone hacking trial explained - BBC News

2 western North Dakota newspapers apparently close - The Bismarck Tribune

The vulture fund that picked American newspapers apart has a new target - CJR

America's most prominent newspapers have spent a decade using race like a knife to divide us - Fox

Important Events From This day in History May 10th

 

10 May, 1994 U.S.A. John Wayne Gacy Executed

1994 : John Wayne Gacy ( The Killer Clown ) is executed in Illinois for the murders of 33 young men and boys he had raped and murdered between 1972 and his arrest in 1978.

1941 England Rudolf Hess

1941 : Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission, he was captured by British forces and held by the British for the remainder of the war. In 1945 Rudolf Hess was taken before the Trial of the Major War Criminals during the Nuremberg Trials where he was found guilty of (1) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of crime against peace, (2) Planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression and other crimes against peace. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and committed to Spandau Prison where he died in 1987.After 1966 for the next 20 years Hess was the sole remaining inmate of Spandau Prison, because the Soviet Union would not allow leniency. His main companion was warden Eugene K. Bird, with whom he formed a close friendship. Bird wrote a 1974 book titled "The Loneliest Man in the World" about his relationship with Hess during the 30 years of his imprisonment.

1965 Warren Buffet Gains Controlling Interest In Berkshire-Hathaway

1965 : Following three years of buying stock in Berkshire-Hathaway Warren Buffet gains a controlling interest in the company the shares were trading at less than $20.00 per share. Warren Buffet expands Berkshire-Hathaway into the insurance industry and other investments and as of the beginning of 2008 Class A shares were selling for over $150,000 per share making them the highest-priced shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

Current Trading Price:

November 9th 2009: $95,295.00 so although took a hit during stock market crash still seems like was good investment when bought for $20.00 per share.

April 5th 2021: $395,535.00

10 May, 1924 U.S.A. J. Edgar Hoover

1924 : J. Edgar Hoover is appointed by President Calvin Coolidge to be the Sixth director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), the name is changed in 1936 and J. Edgar Hoover becomes the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and served until 1972.

10 May, 1940 Battle of France Begins

1940 : Germany and Italy begin the battle for France beginning on 10th May and ending on June 25th, at which point Germany put the non-democratic government collaborating with Germany, Vichy Government in control of the country. The battle of France was a major victory for the Axis Powers and part of the battle involved Dunkirk where British and Allied forces were separated from the main body of the French defenses by the German advance causing the evacuation of 192,226 British and 139,000 French soldiers who were rescued by a hastily assembled fleet of 860 boats which included fishing boats, pleasure craft and RNLI lifeboats.

2007 U.S.A. Santa Catalina Island

2007: A fire breaks out in the hills north and west of the city of Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, California burning over 4000 acres and a number of buildings but the fire was bought under control before the city of Avalon was threatened. The fire bought back memories from the fire on the island which is only 22 miles long and eight miles wide at its greatest width in 1915 which destroyed half of the buildings on the Island including six hotels and several clubs.

10 May, 1926 Great Britain General Strike

1926 : With the general strike in England bringing the country to a standstill many believe that the bolshevists are behind the strike and have infiltrated British trade unions, the general strike is now in it's 8th day and many are hoping a compromise can be reached.

1929 U.S.A. Graf Zeppelin Airship

1929 : Following the success of the Graf Zeppelin Airship more are planned for purchase as a passenger line between Honolulu and Los Angeles at a cost of $1,000,000.

1933 Germany Book Burning

1933 : In Germany, Nazis start burning books considered to be un-German.

10 May, 1937 Great Britain King George Coronation

1937 : With the forthcoming coronation of King George in 2 days time as the King of England, the government and the royal family clash over royal representation at the forthcoming Duke of Windsors marriage to Mrs Warfield now that her decree absolute is final. The Royal family wishes to have the Duke of Kent present at the wedding but the government feels this would be unwise, some compromise will be reached or the government will be seen as dictating to the Royal family.

1940 England Winston Churchill

1940 : Winston Churchill becomes the leader of a coalition government after Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain said he was stepping aside following German forces invading Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg by air and land.

1946 England United States of Europe

1946 : Winston Churchill has made a speech urging a United States of Europe including Germany as he believes this will help to create a common bond between Europeans and for future trade.

https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/may11th.html

Today in Labor History May 10, 2023

 

Thanks to an army of thousands of Chinese and Irish immigrants who laid 2,000 miles of track, the nation’s first transcontinental railway line was finished by the joining of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines at Promontory Point, Utah. – 1869

Pullman fired 3 workers for being on the grievance committee, leading to a strike that shut down the company a day later. – 1894

U.S. and Canadian workers formed the Western Labor Union. It favored industrial organization and independent labor party politics. – 1898

200 labor leaders were arrested in Chicago for complicity in the murder of two policemen and the bombing of factories – 1922

UMW struck at selected U.S. mines. – 1993

A federal bankruptcy judge permitted United Airlines to legally abandon responsibility for pensions covering 120,000 employees. – 2005

Important Events From This day in History May 9th

 

9 May, 2010 Iceland Flights Cancelled Due to Volcanic Ash

2010 : Hundreds more flights are cancelled due to volcanic ash disrupting the atmospheric conditions over Europe. Ash clouds from an Icelandic volcano forced the cancellation of many flights to and from Europe and many airports around the continent were forced to close, including sixteen airports in Spain alone.

9 May, 1974 U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen

1974 : Bruce Springsteen nicknamed "The Boss," with his E Street Band performed a concert in Cambridge, Mass., which made the well known rock critic Jon Landau write, "I saw rock and roll future and it's name is Bruce Springsteen." Bruce Springsteen most famous albums include Born to Run (1975) and Born in the U.S.A. (1984). He has sold over 65 million albums in the U.S.

9 May, 1933 US Tornadoes

1933 : 61 people have died as Tornado's strike Kentucky and Tennessee leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake, among the worst hit are areas of Louisville.

9 May, 1934 West Coast Longshoremen's Strike

1934 : The West Coast Longshoremen's Strike begins when Int’l. Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union workers demand a 6 hr working day, more men on each gang, lighter loads and an independent union. They shut down seaports in Washington, Oregon and California for 3 months.

9 May, 1960 U.S.A. Contraceptive Pill

1960 : The Food and Drug Administration approved the first pill for contraceptive use in Birth Control, called Envoid. The pill is a mix of of an estrogenand a progestin and is now used by by more than 100 million women worldwide.

1994 Ebola Virus Outbreak

1994 : The first cases of the Ebola Virus in the latest outbreak in Gabon, are identified which cause the death of 9 of those infected with the virus.

Further Ebola Virus outbreaks occur in:

Gabon, in February 1995 (37 cases including 21 deaths)

Gabon, in July 1996 (60 cases including 45 deaths)

A Further Ebola Virus epidemic occurs in Kikwit, the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1995 with 315 cases, 250 of which had fatal outcomes.

(Figures From World Health Organization)

The strain of Ebola which broke out in Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) has one of the highest case fatality rates of any human pathogenic virus, at roughly 90%.

1925 U.S.A. Rum Runners

1925 : Rum runners were chased today by the Coast Guard and were forced to dump 100 cases of Liquor in the Delaware River as part of the Rum War between smugglers and Coast Guard, after dumping the booze the smugglers managed to escape the Coast Guard.

1926 U.S.A. North Pole

1926 : Commander Richard Byrd and his companion the first to fly an airplane to the North Pole ( Later Disputed ).

1944 U.S.A. War Rationing

1944 : Like most of the countries throughout the world war rationing is in effect for everything from tires to Red Meat.

1944 U.S.A. Jimmie Davis

1944 : Jimmie Davis becomes the Governor of Louisiana. He wrote the song "You Are My Sunshine." He became famous for recording secular and religious songs and also served two nonconsecutive terms as the governor. He lived to be over 100 years old and also has the distinction of living longer than any other United States governor.

1953 U.S.A. The Mob

1953 : Calls for the federal government to take on the Mob / Crime Syndicate / The System after the murder of a longshoreman. The Mob makes money from Prostitution, Gambling, Loan Shark, Narcotics and The Waterfront and calls are rising daily for federal action as they appear to be immune from the law due to local politicians protection.

1955 Germany NATO

1955 : West Germany Joins NATO.

1956 England Frogman Disappears

1956 : A British naval diver ( Commander Lionel "Buster" Crabb ) goes missing and is later found dead during a Goodwill Visit by a Soviet cruiser carrying Soviet leaders Nikita Khruschev and Marshal Nikolai Bulganin. At the time no one would admit that he was spying on the Russian Cruiser on a spying mission for MI6 and had dived under the cruiser to check out the hull and any other information he could find. And it still remains a mystery on how he died.

https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/may10th.html

Families Against Fentanyl

Families Against Fentanyl is proud to join with a broad coalition of organizations and advocates on this #NationalFentanylAwarenessDay to get the word out about this deadly drug.

Know the facts — it could save a life.

Today in Labor History – May 9th, 2023

 

William “Big Bill” Haywood

A coal mine exploded at Roslyn, Washington killing 45 mine workers. – 1892

Striking tram workers blew up a tramcar during riots in St. Louis. – 1900

Japanese workers struck at Oahu, Hawaii’s Aiea Plantation, demanding the same pay as Portuguese and Puerto Rican workers. Ultimately 7,000 workers and their families remained out until August, when the strike was broken. – 1909

Legendary Western Federation of Miners leader William “Big Bill” Haywood went on trial for murder in the bombing death of former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg, who had brutally suppressed the state’s miners. Haywood ultimately was declared innocent. – 1907

Longshoremen began a strike for a union hiring hall and union recognition, ultimately leading to the San Francisco general strike. After World War One, West Coast longshore workers were poorly organized or represented by “company unions.” The IWW had tried to organize them and had some successes ( for example, San Pedro in 1922), but they were ultimately crushed by injunctions, imprisonment, deportation and vigilante violence. While longshoremen lacked a well-organized union, they retained a syndicalist sentiment and militancy. Many Wobblies were still working the docks. On May 9, 1934, longshoremen walked off the job at ports up and down the West Coast, soon to be followed by sailors. Strikers were shot by the bosses’ goons in San Pedro. There was also violence in Oakland and San Francisco. Street battles between the cops and strikers continued in San Francisco, heating up on July 3, and culminating in Bloody Thursday, on July 5, when 3 workers were shot by police (two of them died). The attack led to a four-day general strike that effectively shut down commerce in San Francisco, despite police violence and attempts to weaken it by national unions. – 1934

Hollywood studio mogul Louis B. Mayer recognized the Screen Actors Guild.  SAG leaders reportedly were bluffing when they told Mayer that 99 percent of all actors would walk out the next morning unless he dealt with the union. Some 5,000 actors attended a victory gathering the following day at Hollywood Legion Stadium; a day later, SAG membership increased 400 percent. – 1937

Labor leader Walter Reuther and his wife May died suspiciously in an airplane crash. Repeated attempts had been made on Reuther’s life going back to 1938. – 1971

4,000 garment workers at Farah Manufacturing Company in El Paso went out on strike over union representation. In January 1974, after a successful national boycott, the NLRB ruled in the workers’ favor, and the company finally recognized the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. The 1974 contract included pay increases, job security and seniority rights, and a grievance procedure. – 1972

Los Angeles Times wins two Pulitzer Prizes.

By Brett Levy

Los Angeles Times wins two Pulitzer Prizes. One goes to the staff of LAT for Breaking News Reporting and the second to photographer Christina House .

Breaking News Reporting
"Awarded to the Staff of the Los Angeles Times for revealing a secretly recorded conversation among city officials that included racist comments, followed by coverage of the rapidly resulting turmoil and deeply reported pieces that delved further into the racial issues affecting local politics."

Feature Photography
"Awarded to Christina House of the Los Angeles Times for an intimate look into the life of a pregnant 22-year-old woman living on the street in a tent–images that show her emotional vulnerability as she tries and ultimately loses the struggle to raise her child."

https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2023

Monday Afternoon in the Blogosphere

 Prado Dam

Kroger is pulling its discount circulars from newspapers - MediaNews

America’s Newspapers releases 2023 Local Newspaper Study - America's Newspapers

Nearly three-quarters of Americans blame media for dividing nation - The Associated Press

McDonald's faces new lawsuit over its advertising spending with Black-owned media - Chicago Tribune

Public Radio and Broadcast TV Aren’t (Yet) the Answer to the Local News Problem - Second Rough Draft

Today in Labor History May 8th

 

A. Philip Randolph

The American Federation of Teachers was founded. – 1916

Jerry Wurf, who served as president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) from 1964 to his death in 1981, was born in New York City. The union grew from about 220,000 members to more than 1 million during his presidency. – 1919

A. Philip Randolph and Milton P. Webster founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The Brotherhood was the very first African-American labor union to sign a collective bargaining agreement with a major U.S. corporation. – 1925

About 200 construction workers in New York City attacked a crowd of Vietnam war protesters four days after the Kent State killings. More than 70 people were injured, including four police officers. Peter Brennan, head of the New York building trades, was honored at the Nixon White House two weeks later and was eventually named Secretary of Labor. – 1970

Some 12,000 Steelworker-represented workers at Goodyear Tire & Rubber won an 18-day strike for improved wages and job security. – 1997

Important Events From This day in History May 8th

 

8 May, 1945 VE Day / Victory In Europe Declared

1945 : President Truman and Prime minister Churchill declared victory in Europe today, celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. Following the announcement huge crowds, many dressed in red, white and blue, gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London and were cheered as the King, Queen and two Princesses came out onto the balcony.

8 May, 1970 UK The Beatles "Let It Be" Released

1970 : Just shortly after the Break Up of the Beatles is announced The Beatles Final original album "Let It Be" is released by Apple Records.

8 May, 1978 U.S.A. David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam )

1978 : David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam ) admitted guilty to 6 son of Sam killings in court, he has also claimed responsibility for 2000 fires in a 4 year period under the alias of "The Phantom of the Bronx," it was revealed a diary found detailed 1,411 of the fires during this time period.

8 May, 1942 World War II The Battle of Coral Sea

1942 : The Battle of Coral Sea, between the Japanese Navy and the United States and Australian Navies ends with the loss of the carrier USS Lexington and the Japanese carrier Shōhō.

1927 U.S.A. Mississippi Floods

1927 : The Mississippi floods are continuing the path of destruction. The Mississippi has seen many floods in previous years and thankfully most residents heeded the flood warnings saving many lives but this flood will be the most costly in many years.

8 May, 1929 U.S.A. Gangsters Murdered

1929 : Three gangsters from Chicago were found murdered today and riddled with bullets in retaliation for the "St Valentines Day Massacre" earlier in the year, so far 2 have been identified as 2 of Scarface Al Capone's henchmen.

1939 Europe On the Brink Of War

1939 : Calls for peace continue with Europe on the brink of war including Pope Pius XII who asks the nations involved to try to come to a peaceful settlement , Currently Britain is worried as if the Soviets and Nazis do make a pact to join forces, war could be that much closer and will involve all the countries in Europe.

1941 U.S.A. "Let Me Off Uptown"

1941 : Anita O’Day recorded "Let Me Off Uptown" with Gene Krupa and his band. O'Day was one of the more prominent jazz singers of her day and has often been compared to greats like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald.

1927 France Transatlantic White Bird

1927 : The Bi-Plane the "Transatlantic White Bird" Piloted by the french Aviator Captain Nungesser attempting to be the first to cross the Atlantic non stop from Paris to New York is spotted in the early morning off Nova Scotia fighting strong head winds and heading for the Maine Seaboard and had been in the Air for approximately 33 hours. Shortly after the sighting they mysteriously disappeared while trying to be the first to complete the non-stop transatlantic flight, flying from Paris to New York City . The plane, pilot and navigator have never been seen since and two weeks later American aviator Charles Lindbergh, flying solo, successfully crossed from New York to Paris.

1948 Germany Berlin Issue

1948 : Following the end of the World War more problems are appearing in how Germany will be split with the Russians stating the plan put forward by Britain, France and the United States will cause Germany and the rest Europe to be divided and is not in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement. So far no word has been given by Russia on what they will do. What did happen is that Berlin was split and the Berlin Wall was built as part of the cold war over the next 40 years.

1959 Egypt Pleasure Boat Sinks On The Nile

1959 : A 200 ton pleasure boat carrying some of Egypt's top agriculture engineers and their families on a picnic sank with loss of 200 lives on the Nile.

1967 U.S.A. Ralph Nader

1967 : Following the publication of his book "unsafe at any speed" published in 1965 which highlights the Chevrolet Corvair as an unsafe and unreliable example of automobiles offered to American Consumers. Ralph Nader is part of a symposium on "Automobile Crash Injuries" at the Upstate Medical Center as part of the pressure on the government and the automobile industry to improve safety in cars.

https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/may9th.html

Today in Labor History May 7th

 

 Bloody Tuesday – San Francisco

The Knights of St. Crispin union was formed at a secret meeting in Milwaukee. It grew to 50,000 members before being crushed by employers later that year. – 1867

Bloody Tuesday occurred in San Francisco. The Street Carmen were among the most militant workers in San Francisco, a city that had one of the most organized and militant labor movements in the country in those days. The mayor, Eugene Schmitz, and two city supervisors were from the Union Labor Party. San Francisco workers, particularly the Carmen’s union, had struck in five of the six years from 1902 to 1907. Capitalists were starting to get sick of the power of the San Francisco unions and wanted to put a stop to them once and for all. Led by Rudolph Spreckels (the sugar magnate), they hired the Burns Detective agency and started by exposing Schmitz’ corruption as well as that of the Board of Supervisors. The corruption scandals dealt a serious blow to the unions’ political power, as their allies were up to their necks in legal troubles.  The violence occurred when strikebreakers tried to run the streetcars, resulting in an exchange of gunfire between union carmen and scabs where two died and 20 were injured.  Over the course of the strike, two dozen people died in accidents on the system while it was run by scab labor and an estimated 900+ others were injured. – 1907

The Hotel Workers Industrial Union struck New York City’s finest hotels and restaurants, including the Waldorf and Astoria hotels and the Plaza. – 1912

Philadelphia’s longest transit strike ended after 44 days. A key issue in the fight was the hiring and use of part-timers. – 1977

Important Events From This day in History May 7th

 

7 May, 2008 Oil Price Could Reach $200.00 per barrel in 6 months

2008 : Argun Murti the Goldman Sachs energy strategist has warned oil price 'may hit $200 a barrel' in 6 months due to the available supply to demand needs. Oil peaked at just under $150.00 per barrel July 2008 -- ( current price May 5thth 2021 -- $60.97 )

7 May, 1915 World War I Lusitania Sunk By Torpedo

1915 : A German torpedo sinks the British Ocean liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, killing nearly 1,200 people.

1945 Germany Surrenders

1945 : Germany signs unconditional surrender at Rheims in France bringing to an end six years of war in Europe.

7 May, 1941 U.S.A. "Chattanooga Choo Choo"

1941 : Glenn Miller and His Orchestra recorded "Chattanooga Choo Choo." The song was first featured in the 1941 movie "Sun Valley Serenade," a movie that starred many of the biggest names of the day. It became one of the most popular hits from the era and even has its own website.

1971 France The Concorde

1971 : The Concorde, the worlds first faster than sound passenger plane, took off for a 75 minute publicity flight to Toulouse carrying the french president on board.

1956 UK Health Minister Rejects Call for Smoking Bans

1956 : The British Health Minister RH Turton, rejects calls for a government campaign against smoking, saying no ill-effects have actually been proven from smoking and the link between smoking and lung Cancer has not been proved.

7 May, 1921 Ireland Starving

1921 : Over 5000 people have already starved to death in Ireland in 1921 and it is feared many more will follow.

7 May, 1931 U.S.A. Pay Cuts

1931 : A survey of Employers has revealed that those companies who are surviving since the stock market crash have drastically cut their work force and implemented wide ranging pay cuts among those employees who are still employed by up to 40% during the 1930s great depression.

1934 Philippines World's largest Pearl Found

1934 : The 9.45-inch, 14.1 lb "Pearl of Lao Tzu" is found by a diver in a giant clam in the Palawan Sea. Gemologists do not consider this to be a true pearl, as it does not have the mother of pearl, i.e. it does not have the iridescence that true pearls (which come from pearl oysters and pearl characteristics ). Clam pearls have no intrinsic value as a "gemstone", but only as a curiosity.

1941 Germany Bombing UK Cities

1941 : Germany continues to send large numbers of Bombers laden with bombs targeting Liverpool, North East, North West, Bristol and London, and each night British fighters go out trying to stop the destruction to towns and cities around the country , during last nights raids some 40 + German bombers were downed by British fighter pilots.

1947 U.S.A. Levittown, New York

1947 : Levitt and Sons, Builders announce a 2,000 home rental community at Island Trees later becoming Levittown, Hempstead, Long Island, New York ideal for GI's returning home following the end of World War II, the project used a new type of construction based on mass-production housing never used before, due to the prefabricated design they could build 30 houses a day. Following the success of the project they announced a further 4,000 homes which would be for sale not rental, offering ownership on a 30-year mortgage with no down payment and monthly costs the same as rental. After two years they began offering a larger home "a ranch house" 32 feet by 25 feet ( 800 Sq Ft ) for $7,990. The concept was copied all over the United States and modern suburbia was born.

1950 U.S.A. Major Storm

1950 : A major storm on the East Coast has caused a number of deaths and major flooding between New York and Boston with winds reaching 65 MPH.

1962 U.S.A. Wage Restraint Urged

1962 : JFK has warned unions to show responsible wage restraint or inflation could damage the US Economy the UAW was a big supporter for the JFK presidency.

1965 Rhodesia Ian Smith Wins

1965 : White voters in Rhodesia have overwhelmingly backed Prime Minister Ian Smith's Rhodesian Front which will unilaterally declare independence from the UK.

1977 U.S.A. Seattle Slew

1977 : Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby, the first of his Triple Crown victories for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. The Three Races for the Triple Crown in the US are (1) The Kentucky Derby, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky; (2) The Preakness Stakes, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland; (3) The Belmont Stakes, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

1992 U.S.A. Space Shuttle Endeavour

1992 : The space shuttle Endeavour, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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